We Could Have Had It All
by paradoxboom
Summary: The bright lights of Vocal Adrenaline could be too much to resist for Rachel, now she's found Shelby's her mother and Jesse seems ready to redeem himself.
1. Decisions

"Where's Rachel?"

The New Directions looked around. There wasn't any sign of Rachel Berry.

"I only noticed because several minutes have passed without her saying any form of theatrical criticism…" Puck muttered.

"Is that even in your vocabulary?" Santana questioned, scowling. Puck silenced her with a look. Before they could continue, Mercedes spoke up.

"I'm not sure if she'll be here. Rachel got some kind of hard news yesterday." She said, biting her lip. Mr Schuester looked up from his sheet music.

"Oh really? What?" He asked with a slightly concerned look on his face.

"You know Shelby Corcoran? The coach of Vocal Adrenaline?"

Mr Schue scowled, thinking of previous experiences with Shelby, which basically ended up in them making out.

"She's Rachel's mom."

An air of disbelief hung still around them, most of them dropping their mouths.

"We're screwed. Rachel's gonna jump ship over to Vocal Adrenaline." Puck said, throwing his hands in the air. Mr Schue had his signature 'oh, shit' look on his face, replacing the concerned look.

Rachel walked in with a powerful scowl on her face.

"Please, don't talk about it here." She said, looking extremely dejected and depressed.

"Rachel, we know we're here for you. If there's anything you want to talk to us about, please do." Mr Schue said sympathetically. Rachel shot an accusing glare at Santana and Quinn, knowing they'd be the only ones that didn't understand, and would make fun of it all. She looked the class over again.

"I'm fine." She muttered.

Mr Schue clapped once, and addressed the class again. "Right…Let's start on our theatricality projects, shall we?" The class cheered once again.  
>Rachel just sat there, a thoughtful expression on her face.<p>

_So, I've been thinking seriously carefully about my future in the musical and theatrical arts. Would I succeed in the New Directions? Or…would mom help me branch out to more, adventurous styles of the arts? I can't believe I've even considered this. But, would Vocal Adrenaline give me more opportunities to shine? Oh god, they'd hate me forever if I transferred to Carmel. But it's my life, not theirs.  
>Don't get me wrong! I love WMHS and the glee club. But imagine if I joined Vocal Adrenaline! They'd be even more unstoppable than they already are.<br>Shelby- I mean mom… could help me down the road to Broadway…_

_Oh my gosh, I just settled that for myself. I'm gonna transfer to Carmel High. _

"Rachel? RACHEL?"

"Huh? Oh, hi."

"Hi. Would you like to go first?"

"No. I'm fine."

The class gasped. Rachel? Refusing a solo? What the hell was happening? Maybe she was taking the news harder than first thought.

"Oh, okay? Well, Mercedes, Tina, Santana? Want to take it away?" They cheered and stood in front of the class.  
>Rachel was too lost in her thoughts to even acknowledge the quality of the performance. It was like it was an entirely different Rachel Berry.<br>She felt like simply running out of the choir room, running straight to Carmel and running up and giving Shelby a giant hug.  
>But of course she had to sit through the imperfect performances before she could even leave the room.<p>

The clapping broke through Rachel's reverie.

"That was _amazing _girls! Totally fantastic! Could possibly be a contender for our Regionals set list!" Mr Schue winked.  
>Rachel clapped absentmindedly a couple of times.<p>

"Rachel? Would you like to go now?"

"No. I haven't finished practicing…I have to go." She stood up quickly, flattened the pleats on her corduroy skirt and stepped out of the room.

She didn't really want to admit it; but she kind of needed Jesse right now. A part of her knew that most of the love was never real, but she loved him through and through. 

_Should I go to Carmel? They'll still be practicing for Regionals until midnight. I should go right up to Shelby, and ask for a transfer. Then I could truly be with Jesse. And we could win Regionals without even trying. It's shameful, I know, but I really was scared about our chances at Regionals. We only just snuck past at Sectionals. Mr Schue always thinks about being 'inspiring and different' is gonna get us first place. But sometimes you need to be good! Just like Vocal Adrenaline. Their routines are perfect. It's so breath-taking, how their lifts are so intricate and amazing.  
>Is it right to have always secretly longed to be up there with them?<br>So much that I couldn't even admit it to myself. _

Rachel roughly twisted the keys, and her car grunted to life. She drove fervently down the road to Carmel High. If she went to Carmel, she'd finally get respect from her other school mates, instead of slushies thrown at her as she walked confidently down the hall.

And as for her talent, it'd be recognized even more so. And the show choir director wouldn't constantly be trying to destroy her career by giving her well-earned solos to other less talented singers.  
>The very thoughts angered her.<p>

She arrived at Carmel High. The buildings towered over her, and they looked much more neat and respectable than McKinley. Rachel guided herself on memory to the Auditorium. Countless times of sneaking in to watch practices with Quinn and Mercedes, going to visit Shelby, one got to know the school.

She pushed the heavy doors open, and caught a sight of 26 performers strutting around their partners, in shimmering blue outfits. They were singing Judas by Lady Gaga, perfect for their radiant theatricality. Shelby paced in front of the stage, clicking her fingers and yelling various tips at them.  
>Rachel sighed and tilted her head. She forced her legs to move down the ramp to the first row of seats, where she quietly sat until they were finished.<p>

"Guys, that was average. We won't take regionals like that. You're forgetting to look happy while you're performing."

_Are you insane, Shelby? They were utterly perfect. If they performed half as good like that against us they'd win. Looking happy? They probably aren't. They're worked so hard to get this amazing. Wait; do I seem like this to the New Directions?_

"Take five. We'll work on it later." She said, giving them a dismissing wave. They muttered lowly and walked off stage.

Rachel slowly eased off the seat and walked over to Shelby.

"Mom?"

"Rachel, honey, you can't keep sneaking into these rehearsals."

"I-I'm not," she stuttered. "I need to ask you something. I'd…like a transfer to Carmel High so I can join Vocal Adrenaline."

Shelby's doe eyes widened suddenly. "You're not just doing this because of me are you?"

Rachel opened her mouth, and her eyes nervously flickered. "No…well, yes. Um, kind of. I want to join Vocal Adrenaline for both Jesse and you…and I'd like a better chance at regionals."  
>Shelby visibly held back a laugh.<br>Rachel expected her to sympathetically put her head to the side, and tell her something that'd bring her wishes back down to earth and set her straight. That New Directions is the place she belonged.

"I'd like that very much, Rachel."


	2. The State Of Reminiscence

Rachel's eyes widened brilliantly, and a warm smile spread across her face.

"Would your dads be okay with it?" Shelby said, smiling to Rachel.

"Yes. They'd like me to get more opportunities at stardom." She stated. Shelby nodded once, and stepped over to her desk and collected a bunch of papers.

"I'll sort out your transfer for you." She said, her face glowing.

"Thank you so much! I'll be looking forward to contributing my ideas to your Glee Club." Rachel said excitedly, barely able to keep from jumping up and down.

"I bet." Shelby said half-sarcastically, laughing slightly. She bent over her desk and scribbled on a piece of paper. "When do you want to transfer?"

Rachel looked down and carefully considered how much practice she'd need for Regionals. "As soon as possible."

"'Kay then, I'll get to it. See you, Rachel."

Rachel stood with a puzzled look on her face.

"It's kind of a closed rehearsal."

"Oh, sorry. Mmkay, see you." Rachel smiled on the side, and left the auditorium, a spring in her step.

_I was on the path to greatness. I could feel it as I left Carmel High. Wait until I tell Jesse! He'll be so surprised and so happy. I left myself wondering if we'd sing together at Regionals, as Finn and I did. No! Don't think of them. Oh crap! How do I tell them? They won't stand for it. Even though for some reason they find me extremely annoying and a slight narcissist. Come to think of it, they don't even deserve my talent there. They've been awful to me! Now I feel like Jesse last time he left. I can see why. _

*The Next Day, Glee Club.*

Rachel flung the door open, happily humming to Defying Gravity. A song appropriate for her current conditions. "_I think I'll try defying gravity, and you aren't gonna bring me down!_" She sung quietly.  
>Rachel stopped abruptly a meter into the choir room. Every single member of the New Directions was staring at her with ice cold glares.<p>

"Am I that late?" Rachel said, puzzled.

"After all we've been through, Rachel." Mr Schue began, "You're willing to throw it all away for a shot at Regionals, which you already have? You really have that little faith in us?"

"No. That isn't true! I want to be in Vocal Adrenaline because…Shelby can teach me so much, and…Jesse is there,"

"Are you kidding?" Mercedes said, her words acidic. "You meant nothing to Jesse St. Jackass! It was all a diabolical plan to get to us! Can't you see that? And what can Shelby teach you that Mr Schuester can't?"

Rachel was taken wildly aback. The Glee Club was still glaring at her, and they seemed to cut out her core. "A lot, actually. And Jesse loved me! And I loved him! And I am going to Vocal Adrenaline, whether you like it or not. It's my life, deal with it." She wanted storm angrily out of rehearsal, and slam the door as hard as she could as she left. But a lump formed in her throat. She stood frozen, unable to move.

Rachel studied the class, giving them equally as striking glares. "At least you don't need to worry about my horrible personality anymore." Rachel said, raising her head and flicking her curly dark hair behind her angular shoulder.

"Now Rachel, be realistic…" Mr Schue said, frowning. Puck's upper lip curled over, and he looked like he was about to run up and stab Rachel with the pencil he was holding. It snapped under his grip.

"Two stars are brighter than one." She said, and forced herself out of the choir room. As she strode quickly down the halls, tears came streaming down.

_Why is this happening? I want to leave them! I shouldn't be crying about it! But for some reason it hurt. Was it all the memories and good times we'd had that would soon be left behind, make insignificant? _


	3. A Sense Of Belonging

_Note: In my story, Jesse's the same age as Rachel. And this is set after the end of season 2. Even though the first chapter was in Theatricality…season one…Oh well. ;D Plus I've started planning for two other chapters, there's gonna be a sectionals. xD Btw, sorry this chapters a bit short. :L  
>Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. <em>

Rachel sat quietly in the Carmel High auditorium. The rest of Vocal Adrenaline sat around her, either chatting or having jam sessions up on the stage. But she could feel eyes on her; she could hear her name being whispered within their conversations. Rachel figured they must've recognized her from last Nationals, and last last Regionals. Two competitions at which Vocal Adrenaline crushed the New Directions. Rachel heard the door click behind her.

"Rachel?" A familiar voice asked from behind.

"Jesse!" He was just as Rachel remembered. Combed back curly locks, enchanting smile and boyish good looks. He stepped forward, taking Rachel into a tight hug. Rachel closed her eyes and sighed happily into Jesse's shoulder.

"I've missed you so much." Jesse said.  
>"Me too." Rachel replied, pulling out of the hug and giving Jesse a broad smile.<br>"Shelby told me about your transfer," he began, the corner of his mouth turning up. "Now we can be together with no possible interference from _the team_." His dark blue eyes sparkled.

"Now you don't have to trade love for another consecutive national championship!" Rachel giggled, leaned up and kissed him gently.

"Rachel…"

Rachel jumped. She turned and looked into the face of Shelby. She smiled wryly.

"Would you like to start off our rehearsal with a performance?" She asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Do you have a song?"

"I have the perfect one." Rachel strode purposefully up to the brightly lit stage. She whispered the song name into the band leader's ear, and stood in front of the microphone.

"Um, this song is personal favourite of mine…it reminds me of Jesse, plus it holds a lot of memories." Rachel said quietly into the microphone.

The first few notes of _Taking Chances _rang out into the auditorium. Rachel opened her mouth, and sung as best as she could. All the memories of auditioning for the new New Directions flooded back instantly. She pulled out the deepest emotions inside and put them in her voice. Rachel lost herself in the music, totally forgetting that she was performing in front of possibly the most judgemental show choir in the country.

The clapping broke into her reverie.

"Rachel, that was _amazing._" Shelby said, pacing toward the stage. "You'll make an excellent addition to Vocal Adrenaline." She flicked her long dark hair behind her shoulder.

Rachel grinned and skipped off the stage.

"How was your first Vocal Adrenaline experience?" Jesse asked.

"Well, it's one thing to stand on a stage and sing, but it's another thing to feel like you belong there."

Jesse wiped below Rachel's eyes with his sleeve. "You're crying,"

"I cry a lot during solos. Especially this one. Brings back memories of the early New Directions." She hastily wiped away the rest of the tears.

"You looked as though you belonged up there, too." Jesse noted, putting his arm around Rachel. "I really do think you'll like it here." He said, leaning in.

"Too bad she won't be here for much longer." Said a voice from behind. They both turned. Rachel frowned. "Finn…"


	4. Starring Role

"Rachel, we need you in the New Directions. More than Vocal Adrenaline needs you. Your home is McKinley High, and it will be. Sure, you say you're a team player but usually all you hear is your own name. But we all respect you and your talent. You don't belong with them." Finn stood in front of Rachel and Jesse, his brown eyes full of pleading.

"I can't." was all Rachel could manage. Jesse was frowning intently at Finn, who stood with his eyes fixed on Rachel.

"Our relationships haven't been perfect...far from it. But I miss you Rachel."

Rachel looked down, her bottom lip trembling. "Like I said, move on Finn, I finally have." She said coolly, tears welling in her eyes.

"And like I said, I don't give up that easily." His eyelashes flickered.

"There's only one way to settle this," Jesse interjected. "Show choir-off, tomorrow. Here. 3 O'clock."

Rachel looked up at Jesse, her mouth wide open.

"What would that prove?" Finn asked, crossing his arms.

"Rachel will know where she belongs. And just for old times' sake, we need to show you we're still number one, and you're no better." Jesse said; his voice acidic.

"_I know where I belong, here!"_ She snapped. "You don't have to do anything to show me that."

"You're wrong Rachel. And you're on, Jesse." He turned on his heels and left.

Jesse looked down at Rachel fiercely. "_Let's get practicing._"


	5. St Berry

"I'm still not sure what this is going to prove." Rachel muttered quietly, as she wrote down her Biology notes messily.

"Like old times, right? They perform a poorly choreographed funk routine that scares us slightly, and we perform a totally kick ass number that freaks the hell out of them. But it makes both teams more determined in the end. It'll make for more interesting competition at Sectionals." Jesse said coherently.

Rachel's head snapped up. "Sectionals? That's coming up?"

"Quite soon."

Rachel sighed exasperatedly.

_Why was I doing this to Rachel? She's so fragile. It's not right to make her go head to head with the Glee Club that was her life for two years. But hopefully we'll both come out stronger from this._

Jesse looked into Rachel's deep brown eyes. "Would you like to go out tonight…? Well, to select a song for the show choir-off from the music library downtown. And maybe pick up a set list for Sectionals." Jesse put on his most charming smile.

What Rachel really needed was a distraction from the blurred lines of the show choir world, but she wasn't going to get one, for she had moulded her life around Glee Club.

"Yes, that sounds great." She replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The bell rang shrilly, and they both stepped quickly out of their seats, and walked out of the Biology Lab hand in hand.

The music library was quiet for a Thursday night. Only a few people roamed about, either silently flipping through sheet music or reading quietly in the corner.

"Our meeting place." Jesse said, tracing his hand along the black grand piano that'd they'd sung _Hello _at so long ago.

"Good times." Rachel laughed. "I think we should write our own song. After all, it is one of my specialties."

"And it'll really get at the New Directions. Since it was kind of their thing."

Rachel winced. "I guess." She grabbed a pencil from her bag, and a sheet of paper.

"Any ideas?" Jesse asked, taking a seat closely to Rachel. She turned her head, their noses almost touching. Jesse leaned in closer to Rachel's lips.

"No. not now. We need to work on the song. Perhaps later." Rachel said. Jesse looked a fraction disappointed. "Alright." He took the pencil out of Rachel's tensed hand, and scrawled down a title and a possible beginning verse. Rachel looked over his hand and at the paper. She grinned.

"Awesome."

They messed around with rhymes, verses and sounds until midnight struck.

Rachel held the piece of paper directly in front of her face. "This shall be epic." She giggled, and leaned over and kissed him deeply, tracing her hand down the back of his head. Jesse drew Rachel in closer, putting his arms around her middle.

She pulled out sharply, and held a finger to his lips. "At home." She smirked, took his hand and pulled him gently out of his seat and out of the music library, headed home.


	6. Original Song

_Note: Sorry I haven't added very long chapters lately! I've had huge writers block. And I only seem to write well late at night :P Btw, I didn't write and I don't own the song in the story. It was one of my favorites from Shake It Up!_

Rachel squinted into the morning sunlight. She stood stiffly in front of her car, impatiently slipping her hands into the satin-lined pockets of her sunshine yellow sweater. She peered around for any sight of Jesse. He was several minutes late, for he was supposed to be meeting Rachel before school so they could attend Glee together.

She heard girlish chuckling to her right in the distance. Rachel turned her head and saw some giggling cheerleaders dressed in gold and blue cheer uniforms that had CHS printed across the front. They reminded Rachel of Quinn, Brittany and Santana. Pretty, blonde, popular. She pushed the thought from her mind.

"Morning!" Said a voice from behind.

"Hey Jesse." Rachel smiled and took his hand.

"I had fun last night," he smirked. Rachel couldn't help but blush.

"Me too." She replied. Jesse flipped his black knit scarf over his shoulder with his free hand. "Anyway, I storyboarded most of our choreography last night after you left."

"And I transferred the song onto proper sheet music when I got home." Jesse said, running a hand through his dark curls.

"Fantastic!" She smiled brightly. They reached the auditorium, and quietly wandered in. Shelby was at the head of the class, explaining the importance of not becoming even the slightest fraction complacent before sectionals. Rachel and Jesse silently eased into their seats at the back, without disturbing the class too much.

"If we lose sectionals, Glee will have nothing to do for the rest of the year! Seriously, stay committed to the club." Shelby finished. Rachel admired how much her mother was so focused on winning, much like herself, but she did agree that she could lighten up a little.

"Rachel. Jesse."

They both looked up.

"I understand you've been working on something for your upcoming Show Choir-Off." Shelby said.

"Yes." Rachel stood up instantly. She brushed down the tartan pleats on her skirt and walked confidently up to the stage. Jesse followed quickly behind, holding the sheet music.

Rachel flicked the hair off her face, and adjusted her gold star hairclip.

"Jesse and I were working on a song for the Show Choir-Off last night," She began, holding her head high to the rest of Vocal Adrenaline. "and we came up with a song titled _All Electric._It's about the wild dance atmosphere, which you frequently create in your numbers."

Jesse handed out a piece of sheet music to each of the Glee clubbers.

"And I will teach you all the choreography as I composed a few beats last night on my laptop." Rachel held up a disc. She walked briskly over to the stereo, and inserted the disc.

Jesse and Rachel stood center-stage, and sang what they had written.

_All amazing tonight,_

_The energy is coming out,_

_It feels amazing tonight,_

_It's all electric,_

_Tonight is all electric and we are all connected,_

_The energy is epic,_

_And ladies all are sensing,_

_I'm like a generator, i'll spark you now or later,_

_Shaking like me,_

_And away moving,_

_Like an escalator,_

_I'm not afraid of being more then just a human being,_

_Freeing every part of me,_

_Once i start there's no stopping me,_

_So i stomp to the beat and reach for the moon,_

_Jump to my feet when the base goes,_

_Ooh!_

_Base go on body,_

_Keeps rising and the place goes all like ices,_

_It's all amazing tonight,_

_It's all electric_

"Did you like it?" Jesse asked the group. They stood up and cheered and clapped.

"I think you both have quite a talent in songwriting." Shelby said, and nodded approvingly at them both. Rachel jumped and clapped excitedly.

"Okay everyone! We have choreography to learn!"

Everyone stopped. Rachel eyed them weirdly.

"Well...get up here." She said, gesturing them on. They all flooded on stage.

"Okay, so there's a starting position...So grab a partner,"


	7. Pour A Little Sugar On It

Quinn did a graceful leap across the choir room floor. "We could put in some of these…they're fun…" She did another.

Tina and Mike danced around spiritedly in each other's arms, grinning. "And perhaps Tina and I could be featured dancers?" Mike said as he whisked her around the floor space.

Brittany shook her head as she leaned back into a bridge. "I called dibs on that. Gotta respect the dibs."

Santana giggled quietly and joined Brittany with her stretches. "I still don't see the point of this." She said, her voiced strained from the lean back. "Urgh, those two were a match made in hell. They're so dramatic and over competitive and crap."

Brittany jumped back up and nodded. "I agree. 'Tana, dance with me!" She let out a cute laugh and helped Santana up.

"Guys, we really need some ideas on music…" Will frowned slightly. "What are your favourite songs?" He looked at them all, desperately.

"Better Than Revenge, by Taylor Swift. 'Cause y'know, there's nothing Santana does better than revenge." She smiled and spun Brittany around.

"One Thing, by One Direction." Quinn twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.

"That song's confusing; you don't really know what the thing is." Brittany said quietly.

Will rubbed his forehead and groaned. "Eh. Too mainstream…Anything else?"

"Something that I want." Sugar said, as she filed her nails, a simple smile on her face.

"…And what's that, Sugar?" Will said, shooting her a puzzled look.

"No, that's the name of the song. Something That I Want by Grace Potter." She looked at Will. "It's totally New Directions-ish. And I'm _amazing _at singing it." She nodded once.

"…Okay then. Come up and show us, Sugar." He said, earning a few annoyed or frightened looks.

Sugar stood in the centre of the room, her hands placed on her hips. She cleared her throat twice, and began to sing an ear-splitting tune.

Will raised an eyebrow, suppressing the urge to cover his ears and duck out of the room. Sugar threw her arms up, continuing her performance.

Will sighed quietly to himself, wishing Rachel was here to give Sugar one her of usually unwanted criticisms.


	8. Something They Want

_Noteee: Ahh! So sorry I haven't written in like, forever. Also sorry about the last chapter being quite short. c: I just kinda forgot about this story. And ran out of ideas for a while there. But I'm writing frequently now. And thanks so much for your reviews! x_

"Not going to lie, I'm rather nervous." Rachel rubbed her palms together awkwardly. "It just won't seem right competing against them." She said shakily, looking down.

"I understand, I do. I've haven't been in your position before, but I get it." Jesse said, raising his eyebrows.

Rachel sighed irritably. She wanted to tell Jesse that his ignorance was showing again, but she sat quietly, nervously, in her sparkly chair in the dressing room.

"Sorry, that didn't come out right. Things change, Rach. And if they're for the best, consider yourself lucky and embrace them." Jesse said as he ran a hand lathered in product through his hair.

"Ew, Jesse, don't. You'll look like Mr. Schue. And I don't think I've made up my mind if it is actually for the best. But, I'll find in..." She looked at her watch. "ten minutes." She stood up and paced around the room.

Jesse placed his hands on Rachel's shoulders. "Stop pacing. You'll stress yourself out more and you won't perform as well."

"Yes, your right." Rachel nodded sharply and flicked her meticulously curled hair over her shoulder. "...Let's go." She grabbed Jesse's hand and squeezed it tightly, striding out to the stage. The New Directions were already seated in their huge auditorium. They were either glancing uneasily around it, or chatting excitedly amongst themselves.

Should I wave? Should I stare, or... Rachel asked herself internally, a frown set upon her face. Jesse stepped up to the front of the stage.

"Welcome, New Directions, " He said their name as if they were beneath him. "to our second, you could say, show choir off. There is no real way to determine a winner, but-"

Rachel zoned out. She was standing half-hidden behind him, breathing deeply. That's what her therapist told her to do when she got anxious. She felt Jesse tug her lightly off stage, as in her anxious revelrie they'd decided that New Directions went first by flipping a coin. She and the rest of Vocal Adrenaline filed out and sat at the front. Rachel smoothened out her golden sparkly dress. The dazzling golden tassles hung down from the waist and neck line, which reflected like sparks off the light. But she focused her attention on the show choir up in front of her.

They stood in half a semi-circle, with Santana in the center at the front of the stage. A bouncy tune began, and they clicked their fingers to it. She wore a midnight blue dress with a bright crimson sash tied in a bow around the middle. It vaguely reminded Rachel of the outfits they wore at their very first sectionals.

She sang her first verse, her alluring, raspy voice shocking everyone.

"She's a girl with the best intentions

He's a man of his own invention

She looked out of the window

He walked out the door

But she followed him

And he said, What'cha lookin' for?"

A small smile spread across Rachel's face. It was nice to see Santana get a solo, her talent had always been underappreciated as long as Rachel had a presence.

The rest of the group leapt forward, spinning around as they grabbed a partner. They flipped them back and forth to the catchy beat, lifting them up and down.

It wasn't much compared to Vocal Adrenaline's past lifting techniques. But Rachel always admired their trying.

"She said, I want something that I want

Something that I tell myself I need

Something that I want

And I need everything I see.

Something that I want

Something that I tell myself I need

Something that I want

And I need everything I see."

Tina leapt forward in Mike's arms. They bounced around the stage, swinging to the melody. To Rachel's surprise, she got a verse. She sounded perfect, an adorable, adoring, smooth voice adding to the song.

"He's been livin' in a pure illusion

She's gonna come to her own conclusion

Right when you think you know what to say

Someone comes along and shows you a brand new way."

They all came full circle and danced spiritedly around, moving in perfect time to the beat. Quinn and Finn stepped forward, close in eachother's arms. They sang the slow bridge. Quinn's voice was like an angel's, better than anyone could hope and dream for.

Rachel had missed hearing Finn's smooth yet shaky, captivating singing voice. It was as perfect as she remembered.

"It's so easy to make believe,

It seems you're livin' in a dream

Don't you see that what you need

Is standing in front of you?

I want something that I want

Something that I tell myself I need

Something that I want

And I need everything I see."

They all posed theatrically on stage at the end, held in their partners arms. Quinn's beautiful smile, Sugar's superior smirk, Finn's awkward grin, they were all there.

Rachel was proud.


	9. Lift Your Head Up

Le note; didn't write the song used in this chapter either. It's Ruby by Foster The People.

Rachel stood centre stage, looking down. The New Direction's blank, expectant faces staring up at her. She thought if she could just pretend she was back in the familiar territories of McKinley up on the stage, about to perform a fantastic ballad for one of Mr. Schue's inventive assignments, she may just make it through this performance. Sure, it wouldn't be the same without Kurt's constructive criticisms at the end, or Santana's eye rolls or Mercedes complaints about the number of solos she got. Or she could pretend that she was in that time not too long ago where she and Jesse were in the New Directions, and they were just singing a duet together with a series of random background dancers.

Or she could just accept where she was and what was happening and this was her decision.

The soft piano music began and she sighed softly before opening her mouth to sing the first verse.

"And there she goes,

She was sitting really nice with a head full of advice from friends,

She walks around,

She tries to rearrange but everything goes under her bed…"

Vocal Adrenaline flitted out onto the stage brightly lit in red behind her, leaping into each other's arms as the piano notes picked up. They swung their partner up into stage one of their series of spectacular lifts.

"And it's countless,

She's got a jar full of change saved up for vacation,

And she's watching,

She's watching her sons growing up just like there mom,

And it's hard."

Breaking out of the initial shakiness of her first few words, she stepped back from her microphone and turned to the side. Jesse paced toward her, the determined yet emotional spark in his eyes even more noticeable when he was performing. Rachel knew the spark well. It made her feel like all the decisions she made up this point were the right ones; and her place was up here, surrounded by graceful dancers and the boy she loved.

"But I say Ruby, Ruby, Ruby…

You gotta start lifting your head up, head up, head up,

And I say Ruby, Ruby, Ruby,

I know it's hard but you gotta get out of bed, out of bed, out of bed." He sang to her, his voice silky and dreamy like she always remembered, bringing back flickers of the memory of when they met. Two strangers singing a love song over a piano.

He placed his hand on her side, and she did the same to him, and they spun around, their eyes connected and refusing to let go. She sang her verse carefully in his arms losing her train of thought several times in his sapphire irises.

"She got a call from a guy

Just seeing if she's alright,

Yeah she's got a face full of tears,

Held back by the strength of five.

And she says happiness ain't free,

Everybody fights just like me.

But I've given up the ability to retreat…"

The lights rose up, and Rachel felt like she was shouting out to the dreams she was chasing. She sung the chorus in synchronisation with Jesse while Vocal Adrenaline danced and harmonised behind them. She didn't plan on it, but she stopped and stood in front of Jesse, placing her hand gently on his face while softly singing the rest of the words.

"Yeah, you gotta start lifting your head up…" Jesse held his high note, while lifting up Rachel's chin with his finger. They circled back around the stage as the song neared its finish.

"I'm here, so don't be scared…" Jesse sang as he paced behind Rachel and leaning around to sing to her.

"She's got everything and nothing to lose." Rachel finished. She stood in front of him and placed her hands on his chest, thinking about how the last line really described her and where she was.

Clapping broke the last silence, and she gazed up at Jesse then out at the small audience. The New Directions were actually smiling, grinning. Usually after watching Vocal Adrenaline perform even the funniest of remarks couldn't put a smile on their faces. But they'd both done so spectacularly this time, neither of the show choirs couldn't help but grin about it.

"That was perfect." Jesse whispered into Rachel's ear.

"You're perfect." She leaned on her toes and whispered back.

They all skipped off stage. Shelby stopped the two as they stepped down. "What about that dance pop song thing you guys were gonna do?" She asked curiously, not too bothered.

"Well, that was a song Jesse had worked on a while ago and we wanted something more…personal," Rachel answered, her gaze flickering from Jesse for a fraction of a second then back to Shelby.

"Ah, makes sense." Shelby nodded once then wandered off to the rest of their show choir.


	10. Candlelight Thinking

'There's some kind of symmetry from a couple of years ago, don't you think Diary? Thinking back to the times where not long ago we were all dancing around like idiots on that stage to 'funky' music, I've come so far. We've all come so far. I didn't have my bangs, and the New Directions had a very small number of members. Now I'm up there, performing with one of the best. The best, even. With Jesse, no less. I haven't been this perfectly happy in a long time. On my way, and looking forward to sectionals.

-Rachel Berry.'

Rachel smiled to herself as she peeled a single gold star sticker off its sheet and stuck it next to where she signed her name in her diary. It wasn't nearly as long as the rest of her diary entries, but she thought there wasn't much else to say. Happiness can take a very short time to describe, while sadness can take much longer. That's what most of her other entries were about, sadness. Losing the last few show choir competitions at McKinley. Letting Jesse fool her the first time. Battling the Quinn and Finn drama. Those sort of feelings took a lot more describing than the simple thoughts, "I'm happy now."

She leaned against the wall beside her bed, still smiling a little. She thought back over what the day had been like, a warm feeling inside of her as she thought of how beautiful they were up on that stage. Followed by a twinge of guilt, and annoyance. She shouldn't be feeling guilty about this, not anymore. She thought she'd overcome that a while ago. Maybe performing in front of her old friends and their apprehensive eyes brought it all back. _Your decision Rachel, your happiness, s_he mentally reminded herself. They had other stunning singers anyway, as she saw today. They were definitely fine without her.

Just as she was about to settle down under her covers to sleep, her phone buzzed. Reaching forward and grabbing it, she looked at the screen and a bigger smile spread across her face. It was a text from Jesse, reading 'Look out your door. x' Quickly jumping up from her bed, she drew open her gold star curtains and pulled the door open. Stepping out onto the small balcony she squinted down at the lawn in the darkness. There stood a grinning Jesse, dressed in leather and holding a sheet music kit in his right hand.

"Thought we could do some late night songwriting for sectionals?" He called to her, holding the kit up. Rachel giggled, clasping her hand over her mouth.

"Be down in a minute!" She called back down as quietly as she could, trying not to wake her dads. Darting back into her room, she quickly pulled on an old pair of jeans and a sweater over her pajama shirt. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she crept downstairs and left the house silently as she could manage. As the door clicked shut behind her, she ran around to meet Jesse.

He flashed that signature dazzling smile at her as she appeared around the corner. Rachel leaped forward and wrapped her arms around him as soon as she got close enough.

"You ready?" He asked, looking at her briefly then looking behind him at a silver motorbike gleaming in the moonlight.

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked, looking at the two helmets positioned on it.

"The park, I thought. We could sit down by the lake and let the ideas flow. Maybe eat a few treats while we're at it."

Rachel laughed softly, noticing the basket that was also positioned on it. "It's a little late, we could get murdered or something." She replied, smirking at him teasingly.

"Not on my watch." He shook his head, taking her hand and pulling her along gently to the bike. Helping her on the back of the bike, he looked up at her and smiled. "Ever been on one of these?"

"Nope." Rachel shook her head.

"Are you scared?"

"Yup."

Jesse laughed. "Oh, don't be. You're safe as long as you're with me." He handed her a helmet before jumping on the front.

"Ew, helmet hair." Rachel scowled before slipping it on her head.

"They should invent a helmet that doesn't mess up your hair." Jesse said, flattening his perfect curls down before slipping on his. "Hold on tight." He told Rachel, revving the engine.

"You're going to wake up the whole of Lima!" Rachel laughed, putting her arms around Jesse's middle and holding as tight as she could. They surged forward, taking off into the dark night. She hugged Jesse tighter as the ride went on, resting her head on his back. She closed her eyes and smiled once again, thinking about the diary entry that would be waiting for her to write when she got back.

Pulling into the park, Jesse stopped and hopped off, turning to Rachel and helping her off too. They both took their helmets off and looked up at the sky, and the glimmering lights in it.

"It's so... Beautiful." Rachel said in awe.

"Yeah, you are." Jesse replied, putting one arm around her waist. Rachel giggled at his corny yet sweet remark, taking his hand and leading him to the lake. As they walked nearer to it, Rachel realized she hadn't visited this place in a really long while. She used to take a lot of trips down there, on her daily walks either to take photos to hang on her wall or just to enjoy the scenery. The last time she visited was with Finn. After school one day, running the high risk of getting seen by Quinn or another Cheerio. At that point their relationship (if you could call it that) was a strict secret. But secrets were only tolerable for so long, so the 'glee loser' and the quarterback decided to take a walk in public together. Pushing those fuzzy memories out of her mind, Rachel focused on reality again. She was here with Jesse. The boy who loved and cared for her and didn't care who knew about them, unlike Finn.

Deciding it was a bad idea to get into the mindset of comparing Jesse and Finn, she strode over to the lakeside and sat down on the slightly damp grass. Jesse pulled a picnic blanket out of the basket Rachel totally forgot he had, and layed it down and gestured to Rachel to sit on it. She moved over onto it, and reached over and grabbed the sheet music kit.

"For sectionals," she began, pulling out a pen and tapping it on her chin. "I think we should perform a song that captures how far we've come." Before elaborating on her ideas, she thought, Vocal Adrenaline hadn't really come anywhere. They'd always been pretty much perfect. It was her, and perhaps her relationship with Jesse that had leaped forward. "Or maybe, a song that just captures happiness in general or, change."

"I have a song that's been in my head for the past few days, that may suit." Jesse said, pulling a box of cupcakes from the basket and setting them down on the blanket. "It's called Change," he sat down next to Rachel. "by Taylor Swift."

Rachel couldn't help but let a small smile play on her lips. "You listen to Taylor Swift, do you?"

"I try not to make a habit of it." He replied, biting into a cupcake. "But she does have lyrics that are easily relatable to a lot of people."

"That's true. And I think I've heard that song, too." Rachel herself had gone through a country music phase, it didn't last all that long though. She distantly remembered that song being on one of her playlists.

"Do you think it would work?"

"I can't see why not. It probably isn't the easiest song to move to, but with some creative thinking we could come up with some amazing harmonies and a routine that can't fail." Rachel answered thoughtfully, picking up a cupcake and studying the pink icing that mounted it.

"My thoughts exactly." Jesse muttered, taking a small candle out of the basket and setting it alight with a lighter he pulled from his pocket.

"Aww, Jesse. This is so romantic." Rachel cooed, pulling her sleeves around her hands.

"That was the aim." Jesse leaned forward and kissed her, smiling on her soft lips.

"But I'm holding you personally responsible if you set the park on fire." Rachel chuckled, tracing her finger around Jesse's face.

"You won't need to worry about that." He touched Rachel's hand and smiled fondly. "So, since we don't need to work on writing any music this time, is there anything else you want to do?"

"I have a few ideas." Rachel gave a half-smirk and leaned forward to let her and Jesse's lips meet again. Their kiss deepened as she moved further to him, moving more until she was almost on top of him. Jesse's arms cradled her closer to him, as she moved one hand down his chest, and slowly up his shirt. She ran her hand down his smooth chest, as their kiss grew deeper by the second. His hands caressed her stray, dark hair as it fell in front of her face.

Rachel drew away, and lay down next to him, staring up at the stars.

"I like your ideas." Jesse said to her, turning her face to his with one hand, creating another light kiss.


	11. Alternative

"It seems like we're kind of copying them." Quinn spoke up for the first time in the conversation. "I mean, we're always focusing on trying to get our routines perfect like theirs but it would lack originality. We have done some amazing performances in the past just for assignments, they had a distinct theme. Maybe we could pull off something like that."

"Yeah, sometimes our assignment performances are more spectacular than the ones we actually compete with." Finn added.

Will stood in the center of the room, tapping his fingers on his chin thoughtfully. He wasn't really too sure on how this had never occurred to him, maybe because he'd given the club very slight directions, and they contributed their own ideas to their own routines. "Well, okay." He began, pausing to think. "Maybe we should all just come up with some kind of theme, and you can invent your own things without my directions."

The atmosphere in the choir room seemed to lift a little. Inspiration had almost run completely dry until Quinn contributed a thought-provoking idea. Running a hand through her wavy golden hair, she rose from her seat and stood up next to Will. "Sounds perfect. I say a theme, something loud and proud, displays our confidence and redemption."

"Woah, where are all these ideas coming from?" Puck asked, folding his arms across his chest, smirking slightly.

"Well we can't rely on Rachel now, can we?" Quinn asked, tilting her head at Puck.

Puck shook his head in response and looked down. "This is hard."

"No it isn't. We just need to learn to think, seeing as we've become rather complacent after she left." Quinn cast her gaze over the New Directions, their heads hung in thought. Quinn had always had so many ideas for this club, but she never had the chances to mention them. Rachel's ideas used to be first to anyone else's. "Something outside of classics and show tunes might be nice. Something new. Something fresh to wow the judges."

"Quinn's making a lot of sense." Will looked up. "You see, we don't need Rachel. Just the thing we need is more self confidence to remind us that. A loud, proud, self-assuring song. And I think I'll leave it this up to you guys, I know you can do it." He pulled a pen out from his pocket and strode over to the piano, jumping up onto it.

"What do we know about Vocal Adrenaline so far?" Quinn asked, her hands on her hips. She paced back and forward up the choir room after receiving no answers. "_Well?_"

"They'd do anything to win." Sugar said quietly with a frown.

"Yeah, but what about their performing type?" Quinn put her hands on her head.

"It usually revolves around one or two people." Tina muttered, unsure if she should speak or not. "It's very ordered, everything's very perfect and planned."

"Yes, thank you. If we have a routine that has a lot of energy but displays some spontaneity, then I see no reason why we can't win."

"And display other voices." A broad smile spread across Tina's face. "Now Rachel's gone we can do so many more things."

Finn sat with his arms crossed, staring down. He didn't like the way they talked about Rachel. She used to be a huge part of the New Directions, it felt like they were forgetting her too easily. He had as much faith in their club as the next person but it had never felt right performing without her. He didn't think it ever would. In the time it took for Finn to get very annoyed, he had already formulated a plan. Not much like his previous plan, to hold some kind of pre-competition, but to try and get another weapon in their arsenal.


	12. So Called Math Homework

"So, honey. How's your new show choir going?" Hiram poked his head around the corner of the Berry family kitchen.

"Fantastic. Simply amazing, we've already got our song for sectionals and we began working on our routines today. They're truly stunning dancers." Rachel replied, pouring a strawberry smoothie from the blender into a glass.

"You seem to have forgotten the New Directions rather quickly." Her father noted absentmindedly as he opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk.

Rachel hadn't forgotten them yet. They were always usually lurking in the back of her mind. She didn't intend on forgetting them, either. Whenever she was at practice, she was constantly comparing them to the New Directions. Little things they did differently. Like how it usually was only the self appointed captains that made most of the decisions, the song, the choreography, Shelby's only real job there was to make sure they were looking perfect and everything was running smoothly. The independence wasn't so bad though.

"Oh, not really. I think about them sometimes." She replied wistfully. Before Hiram could bring it up any further, the doorbell rang. Grateful for the interruption, Rachel grabbed her smoothie and ducked upstairs to finish off some math homework. Laying down on her bed, a huge sigh came out. She flipped open her math book, also grateful for the distraction. Although, she didn't really know what she needed to be distracted from.

"Rachel! There's someone here to see you." Her father's voice floated up from downstairs.

She let out a small groan. Was it too much to ask to be left alone for five seconds? Just as she reached her door, the guest had already made themselves present upstairs.

"Finn? What are you doing here?" Rachel stepped back, her wide eyes looking into Finn's familiar 'concerned' stare. "If you're here to ask me to come back to New Directions I'm not going to." She placed her hands on her hips, scowling as he passed her and walked into her room, sitting down on her bed.

"I remember when I saw you the other day in the Carmel auditorium, I told you I didn't give up that easily. And I don't. This still doesn't seem right. You were right, that show choir off didn't prove much. Just like the last one. But you really need to listen to me..."

"Finn, _stop_." She sat next to him hesitantly. "Do you really think any of this is going to matter after we graduate? Years from now, it's not going to. Right now, I'm focused on taking this opportunity to open up paths for my career." Rachel was quite aware how out of character this was for her. Everyone used to tell her to get a life outside of show choir, she was either talking about it too much or spending too much free time on plans for new routines. She was too dedicated. "I'm sorry Finn, but it's truly pointl-"

Finn crashed their lips together, cutting Rachel off.

The first fleeting thoughts that rushed through Rachel's mind- _this is wrong_. But her mind didn't even need to alert her in coherent thoughts that it felt so good. So familiar. She was too entranced to pull away, she just enjoyed the brief moment that sent a warm feeling through her.

"No no, stop right there." Rachel leaned back.

"I-I'm sorry, I just..." Finn's shoulders dropped, and he frowned.

"You don't need to say any more Finn. I get it. You can go now." Rachel stopped him in a hushed tone, staring at her floor with a blank expression. She could feel his eyes on her as she spoke, and after she'd finished.

"Okay. I'm sorry." He shifted awkwardly and stood up, walking numbly out of her room.

Rachel flopped back down on her bed, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. What in the hell was she supposed to do now? It seemed like everything had been ruined in one fleeting second, but it felt so good. She had less than zero ideas on how she was going to tell Jesse, or if she was going to tell him at all. But of course she'd tell him; guilt was a pretty strong emotion for her and she wasn't the best at keeping secrets anyway.

"That didn't last long."

A voice from her doorway made her jump, and she sat upright on her bed, holding her hand against her forehead. It was only Leroy.

"Thankfully." Rachel grumbled.

"What went on?" He leaned against Rachel's doorframe.

"He kissed me, dad. He kissed me. And asked me to come back to the New Directions. I suppose I shouldn't really expect anything more from him..."

Leroy shook his head and chuckled lightly.

"Why are you laughing?! This is a serious problem." Rachel's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Teenage problems. This will go away, Rach. Try not to get too distressed about it."

"If you say so."


	13. How To Be A Heartbreaker

That day's English class was basically torture.

Rachel shared two classes that weren't show choir with Jesse, English and biology. English classes were usually very pleasant, first of all they were rather easy, and secondly Jesse was always being extremely adorable by either passing her corny but cute love notes or he reached over the desk and held her hand in his. Rachel forced a smile through all of those that day, but the whole time she felt incredibly awkward. Scenes of how Jesse would react to her telling him Finn kissed her kept running through her mind, each one ending worse than the previous. She'd also practiced a million times in her head how she'd actually say it. But none of those seemed to sound quite right either. As she and Jesse strode out of English, she decided to take the simple approach. It wasn't exactly perfect timing, they both had show choir next but she figured she probably wouldn't have the courage to do it later.

"Well, I think we're very ready for sectionals. This year's going to be epic." Jesse said excitedly, walking down the halls with an almost smirk on his face.

"Yes. Agreed. Jesse I need to talk to you about something." Rachel bit her bottom lip and frowned at the ground.

An instant look of panic appeared on the brown haired boys face. He nodded once, and held open the heavy auditorium doors for Rachel. Luckily it was empty. They both usually seemed to be the first in there, often before Shelby. "Go ahead." He said in an apprehensive tone. If there was one thing that was rather irritating about Jesse, it was that he had a bad habit of blowing things way out of proportion. Which was one of the main reasons why Rachel was so hesitant to tell him about last night.

"Okay, so. When I got home yesterday..." No. She started it wrong. Rachel huffed, and started again. "Basically last night Jesse, Finn kissed me..." It somehow sounded worse than planned. "H-he just came over, and I didn't even kiss him back, I swear..." She rushed her words, too scared to look back up at Jesse.

"What? Why were you even-"

Just as Rachel thought.

"In like, kissing distance of him?"

"I wasn't! Well, hardly, uh... He just came and sat on my bed and he just..." She began to stutter, and tears stung at the back of her eyes. No, Rachel stop.

_You cry at everything. Try once not to. _Resorting to mentally scolding herself, she slowly looked back up at Jesse.

"I can't believe this, Rachel. I really can't." He said exasperatedly, placing his hands on his hips. "I trusted you."

The word _trusted_ stung Rachel more than it should have. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and stood up. "I didn't know he was going to do it! You're overreacting so much." She nearly yelled.

"Why are you getting so mad? I'm the one who should be mad..." Jesse turned around, with a slightly hurt and irritated expression.

"I'm getting mad because I love you so much, okay? And I seriously didn't mean this to happen." Instantly, the scene of her and Jesse standing in the halls of McKinley High a while ago flashed back to her mind. That time she made that stupid Run Joey Run video. Admittedly it was a stupid move to put all three of the boys in there, but she reckoned Jesse overreacted a little about that too.

"I can't excuse this." He scratched his head and waved at Rachel dismissively, walking out of the auditorium with no second glances back. "Tell Shelby I had some... Previous engagements."


	14. Lonely Hearts Club

Jesse didn't exactly know where he was going. He didn't really care. His head was burning red, he couldn't really think of another way to describe it. It was all a plan to break up the two main singers before sectionals, he just knew it. Perhaps Finn was smarter than Jesse had given him credit for. Heading out into the school parking lot, he sighed. He didn't know where to go from here. Just go back on his word and excuse the fact that Rachel had virtually cheated? But, she hadn't. There was something in the back of Jesse's mind that reminded him she hadn't kissed him back. Thankfully. Jesse was just too much of a proud person to ignore that it happened. Maybe he could just ignore it for the performance? This was the last chance that he was letting love get in the way of show choir. Anyway, it was the professional thing to do. But it would be awfully hard working with her, the days leading up to it. Rachel was an impossible person to work with unless you're in the good books with her or actually like her. It made her easier to understand.

Getting in his car, he sat there for a while staring out the window in thought. He didn't really mind missing show choir or any other classes today. Shelby was very used to making allowances for him, today shouldn't be different. He started up his car and drove quickly out of the parking lot, to an undetermined location.

Driving around central Akron, Jesse decided to pull into Starbucks. He used to go there almost every single day, but over time he just forgot. A small smile spread over his face, remembering his old order of a vanilla latte and chocolate chip cookie.

The store hadn't changed much. It had only been a couple of months since he'd last visited, but he still expected even a little change. Asking for his usual order, the girl behind the counter seemed to recognise him. He recognized her too, she was always there serving when he used to visit often. She flashed him a smile, as she got him his coffee and cookie. She was rather pretty, she had curly blonde hair that was always done up into a high bun, piercing blue eyes and an infectious smile. Thanking her politely, he took the cup and cookie and sat down at a table next to the window so he could watch the cars pass. Reaching for his phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen with a frown. 3 messages from Shelby wondering where he was. He guessed he should've expected it, it had been quite a while since Jesse last skipped a show choir lesson. He replied with a simple 'needed some space' and slipped it back into his pocket. He took a sip of his latte, and glanced out the window.

"Haven't seen you around here in a while." A voice said, breaking through his reverie. He looked up, and saw the girl from the counter perched on the seat at the other side of the table.

"Well hi there." He replied, a small smile creeping back onto his face. "Been busy, I guess."

"That's no good. You should swing by here more often."

The girl's soft southern accent made him smile even more. "I'll get back into the habit of it. I'm Jesse, by the way." He held out her hand to her.

She shook it and grinned. "I know! Everyone knows you around here. Jesse St. James, the great Vocal Adrenaline star."

The girl didn't look old enough to be out of high school yet. "Do you go to Carmel High?" He asked curiously. He didn't recall seeing her around anywhere.

"Yep. You probably won't have seen me around though, I'm usually hanging around in the library or science rooms."

Jesse nodded as she spoke. A science nerd. Interesting. She didn't seem like much of one.

"Oh, I'm Scarlet, FYI. What brings you here, anyways? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Pleasure to meet you Scarlet. That's a pretty name. Um, well, I just needed a bit of time away. Relationship problems and such." Jesse trailed off, not wanting to burden her with his problems already.

"I know how that feels." Scarlet said with a humorless chuckle.

"Oh. Sorry to hear." Jesse stirred his latte with his straw absentmindedly with a slight frown on his face.

"Nah, don't be. It's fine." Scarlet smiled at him, resting her elbows on the table.

"Hey, do you sing?" Jesse asked without thinking. The first thing Jesse had noticed about Scarlet was her infectious energy, which he suspected would transfer on stage. It was generally a question he asked anybody, really.

"Yeah! Well, a little. I'd like to think I did." Scarlet shrugged and looked down, playing with a stray strand of her blonde hair. "I don't really sing in front of people but I do on my own a lot."

"M-maybe you could come down to the auditorium some time and show me what you can do?" Jesse stuttered, looking at her with a nervous smile.

"I'd love to." A soft pink blush spread over Scarlet's cheeks.


	15. Homewrecker

Rachel had been lurking in the back of Jesse's mind for the past two days. They hadn't spoken in the last two days, either. Just exchanging awkward glances in the hallway. Neither of them had any idea at all where they stood with each other, but Jesse had some kind of weird feeling in his stomach that it was about to be suddenly determined. He had attended one out of the three Vocal Adrenaline practices that had been held since him and Rachel's fall out, and Shelby was starting to get suspicious. Jesse was always one to be perfectly on time, and whenever he wasn't Shelby was the first to jump to conclusions. She was always worried that one day he'd 'loose interest' and become like a 'normal teenage boy'. That was the last thing he'd want to do. The so called normal boys around town were pretty much losers- hung around the back of the school in snapbacks smoking whatever they could find and not get caught with. They had seriously low IQ's, and they were a living reminder to Jesse to stick to show choir and not become like them. Jesse didn't really have any plans on how to explain his absences to Shelby, she barely accepted the excuse 'needed some space' last time. Truthfully, he was avoiding Rachel. But he didn't think that would stand for a decent excuse either. It made him think back to when Rachel was going to re-join Vocal Adrenaline, and Shelby had pulled Jesse back to talk to him. She told him something along the lines of, 'don't do anything to break her heart' and 'we've got her now, she's a great catch for show choir.' She knew if Jesse did anything she'd go running back to New Directions in record time. He was rather surprised she hadn't already. Maybe she was serious this time.

His little 'date' with Scarlet the other day had brightened his mood considerably, and he'd invited her to the auditorium, and they were due to meet in around ten minutes. He was sitting on the edge of the huge, empty stage, his eyes hardly leaving his watch. The auditorium was kind of eerie when it was empty, the place being so large and all. Just the stage lights were on, the rest of the building in darkness. Tapping his fingers quietly against the edge of the stage, he waited. When he heard the heavy metal door click open, he all but leaped out of his seat.

"Gosh, it's so dark. Jesse? Are you here?" A small, feminine voice emerged from the other side of the auditorium. An instant smile spread across Jesse's face.

"Yeah! I'm over here." His voice faltered slightly. He was more excited about this than he ought to be. Technically, he was still dating Rachel. But it was only a small singing assessment, Jesse could see no harm come from that at all. He stood up on the stage, and waved into the direction of the voice with his spare hand in his pocket.

"Oh! Hey there." Scarlet walked quickly from the darkness and up onto the stage. "This place is so... Wow." She gazed around the huge room with a rather amazed expression.

"Have you been in here before?" Jesse chuckled.

"Well, of course. But it looks so much bigger on stage." Scarlet grinned and pushed a strand of hair from her face.

Jesse stood admiring her for a second, before snapping back to what they were actually here to do. "Okay, so. What have you got to sing?" He asked, trying not to seem like he was rushing her.

"Right! Sorry. I've got a personal favorite of mine, Teen Idle." She reached into the small pattered bag she carried at her side and took out a copied CD in a clear case. Scarlet handed it to him, and Jesse rushed up and put it on in the player, then in Shelby's usual seat where she watched her show choir practice.

Scarlet placed her bag on the side of the stage, and walked briskly over to the microphone in center stage. The soft, sad melody began and she opened her mouth. As the first note rang out, it was like everything changed. Jesse didn't want to stop listening, stop looking. Her voice was magnetic and to say the least enchanting; it was really like nothing he'd ever heard before.

_I wanna be a bottle blonde_

_I don't know why but I feel conned_

_I wanna be an idle teen_

_I wish I hadn't been so clean_

_I wanna stay inside all day_

_I want the world to go away_

_I want blood, guts and chocolate cake_

_I wanna be a real fake_

_Yeah I wish I'd been a, wish I'd been a teen, teen idle_

_Wish I'd been a prom queen fighting for the title_

_Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible_

_Feeling super, super (super!) suicidal_

_The wasted years, the wasted youth_

_The pretty lies, the ugly truth_

_And the day has come where I have died_

_Only to find I've come alive_

_I wanna be a virgin pure_

_A 21st century whore_

_I want back my virginity_

_So I can feel infinity_

_I wanna drink until I ache_

_I wanna make a big mistake_

_I want blood, guts and angel cake_

_I'm gonna puke it anyway_

_Yeah I wish I'd been a, wish I'd been a teen, teen idle_

_Wish I'd been a prom queen fighting for the title_

_Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible_

_Feeling super, super (super!) suicidal_

_The wasted years, the wasted youth_

_The pretty lies, the ugly truth_

_And the day has come where I have died_

_Only to find I've come alive_

_Come alive, I've come alive_

_I wish I wasn't such a narcissist_

_I wish I didn't really kiss the mirror when I'm on my own_

_Oh God! I'm gonna die alone_

_Adolescence didn't make sense_

_A little loss of innocence_

_The ugly years of being a fool_

_Ain't youth meant to be beautiful?_

_Yeah I wish I'd been a, wish I'd been a teen, teen idle_

_Wish I'd been a prom queen fighting for the title_

_Instead of being sixteen and burning up a bible_

_Feeling super, super (super!) suicidal_

_The wasted years, the wasted youth_

_The pretty lies, the ugly truth_

_And the day has come where I have died_

_Only to find I've come alive_

_Only to find I've come alive_

_Only to find I've come alive_

_Come alive._

Jesse stood up from his seat, and clapped a couple of times. "That," he began, searching for words. "was possibly the most magical thing I've ever heard." He said in disbelief.

"Awwh, really? Thank you so much!" Scarlet giggled and blushed, swaying back and forth on her heels.

He ran up onto the stage, facing her. "I think you should join Vocal Adrenaline! I mean, if you want to and everything. You have a really, really stunning voice."

"If you really think so, then why not? It might be fun." She shrugged and smiled brightly. Before Jesse could think of a reply, he spontaneously reached forward and pressed his lips onto Scarlet's. She leaned back a tiny bit, only a fraction, before placing her hands on the back of his neck. He pulled her in even closer, hardly thinking about what he was even doing.

"Jesse? W-what... W-who is she?" A familiar voice said coming from the other side of him. He sharply pulled away, turning to see the stuttering voices' owner.

"Rachel! It's really not-" He paused, thinking 'it's not what it looks like' probably wasn't the best thing to say. Basically, he had nothing to say.

"I can't believe you, I just.." Tears started to form in her eyes. She grabbed a sweater that was hung over an empty seat, probably what she'd forgotten and come to collect Jesse thought. Very bad timing. She'd already run out of the auditorium before Jesse could clear his throat to make out coherent sentences.

"I'm, um, really sorry Jesse..." Scarlet said quietly behind him, looking down.

"No, don't be. Not your fault. I'll catch up with you later, alright? I'll text you or something." He said hurriedly, grabbing his jacket. "I gotta sort some things out."

"Alright, see you later." She waved to him, with a soft remorseful smile on her face.


End file.
